Kodachrome
Senior Member
I just picked up a Yakima Swingdaddy bike rack for my 05 Tacoma and 09 Bobcat. It fits great and did not need the 8" hitch extension I thought it would.
But one thing I am a bit suspicious of is the included saftey pin that goes into the hitch, it seems inadequate. First off, it is a short pin that only goes into one side of the rack's tube, there is no hole on the outside for a longer pin. Secondly, the pin and the hole in the rack are a good bit smaller diameter than the hole in the hitch which means there is potential for play if the rack's tension anchor were to come loose or fail.
I'm just not feeling the love for this pin in terms of safety and I am strongly considering drilling the hole through on the rack's tube so I can use a proper through pin and cotter pin affair like one would for towing a trailer. One issue might be that a longer pin might not properly clear the long shaft that goes from the handle that tightens the expansion anchor on the hitch end, I will have to take a closer look at it and see.
Am I being paranoid or is my desire to upgrade this sensible?
But one thing I am a bit suspicious of is the included saftey pin that goes into the hitch, it seems inadequate. First off, it is a short pin that only goes into one side of the rack's tube, there is no hole on the outside for a longer pin. Secondly, the pin and the hole in the rack are a good bit smaller diameter than the hole in the hitch which means there is potential for play if the rack's tension anchor were to come loose or fail.
I'm just not feeling the love for this pin in terms of safety and I am strongly considering drilling the hole through on the rack's tube so I can use a proper through pin and cotter pin affair like one would for towing a trailer. One issue might be that a longer pin might not properly clear the long shaft that goes from the handle that tightens the expansion anchor on the hitch end, I will have to take a closer look at it and see.
Am I being paranoid or is my desire to upgrade this sensible?